Top Five Categories The Academy Should've Introduced Instead of "Popular Film"
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has made some serious, extensive mistakes in the past; the infamous Best Picture mix-up in 2017; the total failure of introducing a bottom scroll of people to thank during acceptance speeches; #OscarSoWhite parts I and II; and the countless snubs and poorly chosen winners that populate film fan conversations. However, with the announcement that the newest category will be "Achievement in Popular Cinema", as well as the much more devastating decisions to announce some categories during commercial breaks and to reduce the voting phase of the Oscars, the Academy have outdone themselves in a useless, pandering, and in the worst cases offensive way possible. The decision to create a "popular movie" category is the creation of a separate but equal policy. Critically acclaimed genre films that have started to arise- Mad Max: Fury Road, Get Out, and potentially Black Panther- will now no longer get their chance to see the sun as they are given a consolation participation award based not on artistic merit but box office numbers. While film is ultimately subjective, there are objective ways to critique and analyze it outside of numbers. Instead, I have chosen to make like most on the Internet and select some possible categories that could replace the Popular Film category. 5. "Best Multimedia Performance" This category is one that I personally have difficulty with- creating this category would do in essence for actors the same thing a popular film category does for genre films. However, this is an example of "lesser of two evils", given that the Best Picture field will occasionally get a Mad Max, Get Out, or Inception, while there has never been a single motion capture or animated performance in any of the acting categories. As technology has developed in the filmmaking industry, several actors have shown a willingness to challenge themselves and embrace this newfound avenue for performance that others have not. Oftentimes, the results of these efforts aren't just great voice performances but genuinely effective and emotional acting work. I'd also accept two separate categories for Motion Capture and Voice Over, the lack of contenders in the former outside of notable names such as Andy Serkis and Benedict Cumberbatch makes it a much simpler feat to combine the two categories. Branches That Would Vote: Acting, Visual Effects, Animation 4. "Best Original Soundtrack" People will often parade about a film's score, which while certainly admirable, is rarely the talking point for most casual filmgoers. What is a typical conversation point is a film's soundtrack- some lyrical songs that stand out and make viewers tap their feet as they watch movie magic unfold. Choosing which songs to use can make or break a scene- the right song can inspire the needed feelings, or the wrong one could disrupt its entire flow. In some cases, even creating new songs and music is an incredible challenge that surpasses the former case even more. When it comes to selecting nominees, the proper guidelines would allow for a film to be entered regardless of whether it uses preexisting songs or entirely new ones created specifically for the film. However, it's not too much of a sacrifice to create two separate categories; Best Original Song Soundtrack and Best Original Composition Soundtrack. Branches That Would Vote: Music 3. "Best Cast Ensemble" Every year, there seems to be three or four films that wrestle with how to campaign actors and actresses due to the fact that multiple take on supporting or lead roles. Inevitably, this results in film campaigners to try and judge which performer gets to go into the spotlight and awards conversations while reducing others to "what could have been". An easy and enjoyable way to resolve this is to introduce a reward for the entire case. This has long been a category that people have wanted to see, and the issues that have been put as roadblocks are easily resolved. Firstly, picking who accepts the reward is unimportant; at the Screen Actor Guild Awards, the actors mingle on stage and one or two of the winners steps up for a few quick words, the Oscars can easily do the same. Secondly, in regards to who in the cast is nominated, that's resolved in an arbitrary similarly to the Screen Actors Guild; only card-carrying members of the Academy will officially be given a reward, as well as cast members who were given poster credits. Finally, in regard to the ridiculous controversy that awarding the whole cast makes the individual acting categories irrelevant; this is blatantly not true, with actors like Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck have won an Oscar for producing Best Picture winners, yet they are never advertised or claimed as "Academy Award winning actors". Branches That Would Vote: Acting 2. "Best Casting Director" Consider a companion piece to the previous category, but even more urgent. Casting directors already have their own branch, it's time to give them the kind of recognition they deserve. It's a casting director's job to decide which actors get paired with a project. While the best actors may be able to elevate a character or vice versa, it takes the casting director to strike it with gold in pairing an actor and role to create an all-time performance. Without casting directors, Joaquin Phoenix may never have worked with Paul Thomas Anderson in The Master; a bad casting director never would've found the untapped reservoir that was Timothee Chalamet for Call Me By Your Name; imagine the determination and hardwork it took to find the entire cast of unknowns in Moonlight. There is absolutely, positively no reason whatsoever for this not to be a category. Branch That Would Vote: Casting Directors Honorable Mentions *Best Feature Film Solo Debut *Best Trailer *Yearly Achievement Award 1. "Best Stunt Ensemble" As much as cinephiles and famous celebrities may claim how exhausting and consuming the craft of filmmaking is, very few could ever genuinely say they risked their lives for the purpose of filmmaking. And yet, there is an entire hidden, unknown, and underappreciated world within the film industry that has been continuously ignored; stunt work. These are the faceless people that risk their actual lives and take the place of Chris Evans, Margot Robbie, or Daniel Craig when they perform their blockbuster stunts. Explosions, gunfights, martial arts, setpieces, car chases- every aspect of stunt work and stunt coordination is by its nature an actively dangerous and risky field, all for the sake of a quality film and absolutely no recognition from the world. It's downright atrocious, and we should all be ashamed of ourselves for not taking the time to thank and honor the men and women that risk their lives for art they won't be honored for. Branch That Would Vote: Stunt Choreographers (which doesn't exist, which is stupid) Category:Top Five